Journey Back Home
by The Spirit That Comes At Night
Summary: My name is Cloudburst, and I am and always will be a warrior of SkyClan. SkyClan was threatened by twolegs at one point in our existence, leaving us with one option. We struggled from day to day. Once we found our new home, SkyClan was forced to disperse, and the worst of all, I have been taken from my family. I must find my way home and I don't even know where to begin my journey.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys, so this is a new story! I usually don't do stories based off the real Clans because it's expected by most writers on this site. But this is different, I still made it my own with the use and help of the Erin's base characters. **

**This is a story about Ancient SkyClan, the SkyClan from the old forest, and when they were forced out of their home. **

**For me, Cloudstar's Journey, was hardly a 'journey' at all. All it did was show the begging of them leaving and nothing else. So this new story starts off with the end of that story and a new beginning, but with a twist. **

**Before I start, there are some things I must cover:**

**1) This story is based off a cat named Cloudburst. NO he is not Cloudstar. **

**2) Some of you will complain how it's 'not right' to have two 'Cloud' prefixes in one Clan. I could understand if there were two warriors named with a 'Cloud' prefix, but this is a LEADER and mere WARRIOR. So guess what? I did. **

**3) Cloudburst was named after**

**Cloudstar. Cloudstar's sister had Cloudburst, who named him after he best friend and loyal brother. **

**4) NOT EVERYTHING WILL BE THE SAME! This is MY take on the story, and how I wanted it to be. **

**5) Please do NOT correct me on errors in this plot line when it is lined up with the REAL story.**

**Now that that's taken care of, let's begin shall we?** **But first, I actually have to say this:**

**_I do not own and do my claim to own some characters in this story that belong to Erin Hunter or Harper Collins._**

_Prologue_

As I recall, it was New Leaf, the time in the forest when the trees grew seedlings and families were born. Light showers would rain down in the camp from time to time. Prey was plentiful and plump. SkyClan was thriving for seasons in the days of Darkstar and before. There was never a time of more peaceful.

Our Clan thrived, and we were feared. We had numbers and tactics under our pelts. I was only an apprentice then and Darkstar was my mentor and idol, but soon, a battle would break that would diminish our numbers and bring us seasons of struggle. A war with ThunderClan raged, and we lost miserably.

Once our leader died, Cloudstorm took over and took the name of Cloudstar. He was strong-willed and intelligent. He followed in Darkstar's paw prints to the precise point. Our lives were threatened when twolegs brought their machines onto our territory. Trees were torn down and ground was ripped. We were lost, scared, and threatened. We feared for our kits safety and even our own. The monsters took over our territory, tree by tree.

Prey became scarce and we began to starve. We lost almost all our warriors and we became weak. We went from being one of the most fear and respected Clans to being weak and pitied. Our lives were in grave danger and StarClan did nothing to stop this treachery. Our ancestors kept their chilly silence and soon, our faith would diminish.

After our camp was raided by the twolegs and their treacherous machines, we were out of options, and we fled. What we didn't know, was that we would never see a sight of a true home again.

* * *

"Hurry! Get the kits and elders out of their dens!" Cloudstar called to his ginger pelted deputy, Buzzartail.

I paced with worry piercing my heart. Our leader's mate was in the nursery with their kits. My mate, Vipertail, rushed up to me. "Isn't Birdflight in there?" She asked with a worried voice.

"Yes, help me gather their kits," I instructed as I dove into the den.

SkyClan's deputy, Buzzardtail, was lifting a shocked Birdflight from her nest. "Get the kits," he ordered us.

I nodded my head and lifted one of the kits, Spottedkit. He protested loudly as I lifted him by his scruff. Vipertail already had Gorsekit in her gentle jaws. We rushed out together with Buzzardtail leading the way.

Just as we exited, a large monster crushed into the nursery, flattening it within an instant. I gasped and clenched tighter on Spottedkit's scruff. "Ouch!" He squealed helplessly as he dangled below my chin.

Cloudstar was counting our clanmates on the far side of camp. We ran to the huddle of cats and nodded once our names were called. Together and quickly, I might add, we traveled closer to the border we shared with ThunderClan. We soon arrived at a patch of large, dense undergrowth. Soon, the Clan settled and listened to the roaring of monsters and thrashing of trees. Me and Vipertail took a place closer to Birdflight so she could be with her kits.

I looked over at my mate, her glossy black fur glistened a emerald green like a crow's feather when the sunlight hit it. Her green eyes were soft as she meowed gentle things to Gorsekit. Birdflight, the kits mother, was shaking vigorously until Cloudstar came to her side. "It's alright, you and our kits are safe thanks to Buzzardtail, Cloudburst, and Vipertail," he meowed as he flashed us a grateful glance.

I placed Spottedkit by his mother and Gorsekit. The little tom instantly placed a paw on his scruff and rubbed it. "What are we going to do Cloudburst?" Vipertail asked as she leaned against me.

"I do not know, it is up to Cloudstar and Buzzardtail," I replied to my scared mate.

I looked at our leader, his blue gaze was connect to the ground. His face expressed pure horror and anger. "Why would StarClan let this happen to us?" He asked, half to himself.

I flattened my ears slightly. Why would StarClan allow this? "What are we going to do?" I asked my leader and deputy.

Buzzardtail looked at Cloudstar with wide eyes. Apparently, the ginger tom had no idea. "We only have two options, we either ask - beg - the other four Clans for territory, or we leave the Forest," Cloudstar stated gravely as he casted a glance over his clanmates.

In the distance, trees crashed and rocks crumbled. I could see it all happening in the gaps in the trees. Our camp, SkyClan camp, was no more. Outraged bursts exploded from our clanmates. "Beg RiverClan? Or worse ThunderClan? Have you got bees in your brain, Cloudstar?" Snapped an elder in the back.

Cloudstar narrowed his eyes at the elder. "Do you have a better idea, Petalfall?" He asked the wise she-cat, who was once former deputy.

The she-cat settled down but mumbled, "If Darkstar were still alive we wouldn't have to be in this situation."

Cloudstar chose to ignore her and meowed, "Tomorrow night, at the gathering, we will ask our sister Clans to spare us land and prey. For now, we will make a make-shift camp out of the brambles. Stoatfur, Oakpaw, and Nightfur, clear dens in the brambles. Buzzardtail, make an elder's den and I'll help with the Nursery. They don't need to be perfect, just suitable for the night."

"What about the rest of us?" I asked Cloudstar.

My leader looked at me with wide, worried blue eyes. "Go hunt," he ordered.

"But there's no prey left!" An apprentice objected.

"Hunt what you can!" Cloudstar snapped viciously at the young cat.

"Cloudstar," Birdflight gasped as she scooted her kits closer to her.

The fluffy grey cat's eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Snailpaw," he whispered just before he dove into the thick brambles.

I starred after my leader. The tension was high in the Clan, we were all under intense pressure, especially now that we lost our camp. I looked at the other SkyClan cats and saw no one was taking charge.

Even though I was just made a warrior, I decided I should take charge. "Mousefang, Weaselwhisker, and Acornpaw will come with me. We will hunt as close to ThunderClan border as we can. Vipertail, please take Fernpelt, Tansypaw, and Rainleap to the border with RiverClan, fish if you have to," I ordered to the frazzled cats.

They looked at me with wide eyes, as if they were stunned I took the lead of senior warriors. I bristled my fur, fearing they would be outraged at my sudden instruction. A voice sounded behind me, "What are you doing just standing there? Do it!"

I turned my head to see Buzzardtail looking at the Clan with fierce green eyes. I nodded my head gratefully to him and padded to the patrol I organized. Mousefang, Weaselwhisker and his apprentice, Acornpaw gathered and allowed me to take the lead.

I lifted my tail for our departure. "Let's go, but we must be wary of ThunderClan," I warned my clanmates.

I heard my mate call out for me. "Cloudburst, wait!" She called as she rushed up to me with her gorgeous black fur ruffling in the wind.

Her emerald eyes sparkled with worry as she placed her muzzle against mine. "Please, for the love of StarClan, be careful," she whispered.

"Me? Of course, but I'm worried about you," I meowed back as I gently brushed my tongue against her forehead.

"Ugh, get a den!" Acornpaw spat as he looked away at his mentor, Weaselwhisker, who purred with amusement.

I shook out my fur in embarrassment then gave my mate a nod of good-bye. Then, we split our ways.

As we walked through the forest, or what was left of it, I kept my ears angling around the surrounding area. "I have an idea," I meowed to my counterparts.

"What?" Mousefang asked with curiosity.

I looked at the sandy she-cat with my blue eyes. "We can't afford to miss any prey. Acornpaw, I have a big job for you. A warrior's task," I meowed to the small apprentice.

The little light brown tom puffed out his chest. "I'll do anything!" He boldly stated as he ruffled his fur.

His mentor rolled his eyes and sat down. I chuckled slightly and then meowed, "I need you to keep guard. We'll hunt while you watch our pelts. If you hear or scent ThunderClan, let us know."

Acornpaw nodded vigorously with rounded amber eyes. I stood up tall and nodded dismissal to the two other warriors. "Stay alert," I meowed to Acornpaw just before I padded away in my own direction.

I padded through the thicket, chunks of my pale grey pelt were tugged and pulled out. I hissed my protests, but padded on. Once I opened my jaws, all I scented was wood and dirt. I flattened my ears, almost in defeat.

Soon, rustling sounded and then the constant scraping of a nut. I lowered myself to the ground instinctively and crept forward. I ignored the brambles that tugged on my pelt and saw an opening in the thicket. I fixed my blue gaze on a plump squirrel beside a hazelnut bush. I opened my jaws and smelled the strong scent of ThunderClan. "Foxdung!" I hissed under my breath.

The squirrel was just beyond the border SkyClan shared with ThunderClan. My belly growled heavily and I looked at it. My own ribs peaked through my pelt. I looked back at the squirrel and thought of my Clan. "This is a desperate time," I whispered to myself. "I need to do something."

Casting a careful gaze around the area, I saw no one was around. By the smell of the marker, I thought a patrol passed by around sunrise. I tucked my legs under my body and prepared myself for a swift and easy kill. For a SkyClan cat, I was excellent at hunting in the undergrowth as well as in the trees. I grinned as saliva oozed in my mouth. With a wild look snapping in my gaze, I launched myself forward with claws extended and teeth bared.

My claws snagged the squirrel in the neck. I slammed my paw down on it's neck and felt the snap of bone beneath my paw. Without hesitating, I lifted the squirrel and swiftly leaped back onto my side of the border. I sighed in relief and laid the squirrel down.

Horror struck me when I tasted blood. I looked down at my squirrel and saw that the broken neck had pierced through the skin. I turned around to see a small puddle of blood by the hazelnut bush and paw prints marking the trail I had taken back to the border. My fur bristled in fear as bushes rustled and Weaselwhisker came out with a blackbird. "It's stringy, but it'll do," he meowed then looked wide-eyed at my squirrel. "Where did you get that?"

I flattened my ears and looked across the border. "Good, we need all the prey we can get," Weaselwhisker meowed with a flick of his tail.

I remained silent, I had felt ashamed for stealing prey, but what other choice had I had? We were starving and I wouldn't watch my clanmates die of hunger. "Birdflight and Hazelwing will enjoy that," the older warrior meowed as he picked up his bird.

"Where is Mous-" I began, but was cut off by a horrible snarl.

"Prey stealers!" It called.

Horror coursed through me as I turned around with bristled grey fur. The sun blazed onto a grey she-cat. I swallowed hard when I recognized her as Seedpelt, ThunderClan deputy. A few warriors stood beside her, I recognized a grey tabby tom as Nettleclaw. "Wait, y-you don't understand!" I stammered in my defense.

"I don't understand that SkyClan is so bold they feel like they can defy the Warrior Code? Or perhaps it's because you're so weak you crawl into our territory for what prey you can get?" Seedpelt sneered as her claws slid out.

I flattened my ears and pushed the prey toward her. "Here have it, I don't want to start a fight!" I meowed bravely as I gently nudged the prey toward her.

She spat and kicked it back aggressively. "I don't want that! It's blood is tainted with your disobedience and disloyalty!" She snapped viciously.

"We should get out of here," Weaselwhisker warned as he began to back up.

"I'm sorry!" I meowed as I picked up the prey and fled through the thicket.

I felt dirty, disgraced, and I felt like I tainted the Warrior Code I followed so strictly. I padded after Weaselwhisker and found Acornpaw and Mousefang. The sandy she-cat had nothing in her paws and looked defeated. "Let's go!" A yowled.

The two looked alarmed and followed without hesitation. Behind us, we could hear the ThunderClan cats crashing through the thicket. "To the trees!" I yowled through my mouth full of fur as I launched myself up a tall oak tree.

My claws naturally latched into the rough bark and my powerful, strong hind legs abled me to climb. My clanmates followed with the same ease. I turned and looked down the trunk of the tree and saw the ThunderClan cats circling below us, lashing their tails in aggravation. "Come down you cowards!" Nettleclaw snarled as he attempted to leap up the tree.

I choked back a retort, and leaped through the trees. In SkyClan, when I was an apprentice, my leader, Darkstar would teach me how to leap through the trees. It was a tradition for all SkyClan cats to learn to fly through the trees in combat. My clanmates shook with fear as leaves fell down to the ground with our leaps. Acornpaw, was the slowest because he was not use to this sort of exercise. I slowed down and helped him the remainder of the way. Once we loomed over the make-shift camp, we scaled down the tree trunk and landed in the camp.

There was a sad looking fresh kill pile in the center of the clearing. Weaselwhisker placed his blackbird there and panted helplessly. I followed him and placed my squirrel. Vipertail rushed up to me in alarm. "I smell your fear, what happened?" She asked urgently.

Soon, Cloudstar exited the 'nursery' and looked at me expectantly. "I-I stole from ThunderClan," I whispered, barely audible.

I was waiting for Cloudstar to call me every slur in the code, but he remained silent as he looked at the pile. I followed his gaze and saw the blackbird, squirrel, and two small mice. I flattened my ears, at this rate, we would starve before the gathering. "Did they see you?" Cloudstar asked me with an unreadable expression.

I nodded and his gaze snapped behind me. I turned my head slowly to see the ThunderClan cats behind me. Their gazes were confused and pitiful. I bristled my fur when Seedpelt spoke again. "From the looks of your territory, I see you have ran out of options. Your prey stealing is a threat of war, Cloudstar. This will not go unpunished. Keep the squirrel, you pathetic cats," she sneered as she turned to pad away.

Cloudstar flinched and I looked at him in worry. He closed his eyes and meowed, "Buzzardtail, take Rainleap, Quailpelt, Mintpaw to escort these trespassers back to their side of the border."

Even though my leader tried to offend the ThunderClan cats, he sounded miserable and weak. Once they left the camp I looked at him pleadingly, "Cloudstar, I am so sorry. I saw us starving and I..I.."

"You did what any loyal warrior would have done for his Clan. I just hope Seedpelt tells Redstar our dire situation," he meowed as he picked up the squirrel in his jaws.

I watched him pad into the nursery. I heard the six kits squealing for hunger. Even though they were far too young to eat fresh kill, their mothers didn't have enough milk to feed them, for even they were starving.

I looked at my clanmates and sighed. No one would eat the prey, it was either stolen or old. I looked at Acornpaw and Tansypaw. "Take the blackbird to the elders. They'll have to share," I ordered.

Both apprentices nodded and padded toward the den. Outraged bursts echoed from the den. "I have worked hard to earn my rest as an elder and all I get is a stringy old bird?" Petalfall spat loudly.

I flattened my ears but heard the elders hungry bites from where I sat. Now, there were only two mice left. Still, the Clan sat off, not even looking at it. I stood and padded to the mice. "It's mine!" Came a vicious snarl from Mousefang as she dove at the mice.

"Stay away from him!" Vipertail snarled as she stood beside me.

"Why do you get to have all the nice?" Came a snarl from Nightfur to Mousefang.

"Stop! We can't fight among ourselves. I was going to take one of them to Fawnstep. She needs to eat more than we do. And I was going to take the other to the queens," I hissed fiercely.

We were all losing our minds. We were actually trying to attack our own clanmates. Mousefang flattened her ears in shame and Nightfur sat back on his haunches. Vipertail lifted one mouse and stated, "I'll take this to the queens."

I nodded my thanks and lifted the other mouse. I padded toward Fawnstep who sat beside a tree and organized what herbs she could save or gather. "Here," I meowed just after I placed the mouse on the ground.

"I cannot eat that prey," she growled as she nudged it away.

I pushed it closer to her firmly. "You have to, we need you to remain strong. No one else knows how to deal with herbs," I stated as I looked at her closely.

She was very thin, perhaps the thinnest of us all. "You haven't been eating at all have you?" I whispered to her.

She looked at me in shame. "I cannot eat prey that is written in omens," she whispered back.

I looked at her in confusion. As apprentices, me and her were close friends, but once she became a full medicine-cat, we sort of stopped being so close. "StarClan is angry, they constantly send me omens of our ruin. SkyClan will end," she whispered hauntingly then gasped when she looked down at the prey.

"What? What is it!" I snapped as I looked at the prey.

"SkyClan will be forced to leave the forest. We will struggle and we will not win this war," she meowed as she looked down at her herbs.

I hadn't understood what she meant, and I feared what might happen. Had StarClan abandoned us? If we are forced to leave the forest, what will happen of us?

**A/N: I hope this prologue was long enough for y'all's taste and to get a hint with the characters and the direction I will be going in. **

**If you have questions, ask away! I'll be glad to answer questions! **

**Can we possibly get to like 10 reviews this first chapter? :D thanks guys!**

**-Nightspirit**


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter One_

"Wow, that story is always amazing!" A little black she-cat squealed with her paws and tail failing rapidly.

A purr exited his mouth as he started down at his kit. "I'm glad you enjoy it, but it's only just begun," he meowed with a glance at his black pelted mate.

Her green eyes glimmered with exhaustion but pride, as well. She rested her head on her paws and drifted off to sleep quickly. "Cloudburst, when will we find our new home?" Came a sleepy murmur from the smallest kit, a dark grey tom with large blue eyes.

Cloudburst leaned down and gave him a gentle nudge. "Soon, Stormkit. Get some rest," he lied as he cuddled close to his three kits.

He looked at what his home was temporarily. SkyClan was stuck living in an abandoned twoleg barn. Thunder shattered above the roof, shaking Cloudburst with fear. The eyes of his clanmates glowed with exhaustion and fear. He flashed his blue gaze to his leader, who sat in the center of the barn with his shoulders hunched.

Pain ebbed at his heart for his leader. His mate, Birdflight, left SkyClan to keep their kits safe. She was back in the old forest with ThunderClan. Cloudburst flattened his ears then looked down at his kits. The black kit, Crowkit, was snuggled up to Vipertail. Their pelts meshed together as soft purrs exited their bodies. By his chest, Stormkit slept with his head lying across Cloudburst's foreleg. Last was a white kit with pale grey flecks, he was large with fluffy tufts on his ears.

Cloudburst licked the tom's face where dirt clung to his forehead. He stirred almost immediately. "What..? Why are you giving me sloppy kisses?" The tom groggily snorted.

Cloudburst leaned his head back and chuckled slightly. "You had dirt on your forehead, Snowkit," he remarked.

The kit's green eyes rolled sarcastically. "Whatever, it's not even dawn yet! I don't need you to bathe me," he growled with a tiny paw swiping over his head.

Cloudburst purred and nudged the kit gently. "Then go back to sleep," he meowed.

Snowkit mumbled then scooted closer to Cloudburst's belly. The grey tom looked into the sky with his eyes glittering with worry. "StarClan? Are you there? Are you watching us? Or have you abandoned us?" He asked hopefully to the clouds that raged around the moon.

He sighed before lying his head down on the ground. His eyes slowly dropped before they closed for the night. His sleep was rough, he groaned as nightmares shook his mind. "No!" He screeched before a paw jabbed his sharply in his side.

He snapped open his blue eyes to see Vipertail standing over him. "What? What happened?" He asked.

The sunlight beaming through the roof of the den made her black pelt glow brilliantly. "You were having a nightmare," she meowed solemnly. "You might want to hunt before we head out again."

Cloudburst rolled over and stood. He heard the excited squeals of his kits from across the den. "What are they doing?" He asked his mate with a gentle luck on her ear.

"They're playing with Petalfur's tail. I told them to stop, but she insisted," she replied with a slight purr.

Cloudburst couldn't help but purr along with her. "How is Cloudstar?" He asked with worry sparking his meow.

Vipertail's gaze dulled almost immediately. "Not well, he curses StarClan every chance he gets," she meowed solemnly.

"Can you blame him?" He began, his mate threw him a shocked glance. "Vipertail, he's lost his mate, his kits, his home, and most of his Clan. StarClan did nothing to prevent this from happening."

"So you've lost faith in them too?" She snapped with her eyes piercing his.

Cloudburst placed his tail on her. "Of course not, but I am not happy with them," he growled.

"Snowkit, Stormkit, and Crowkit, time for lunch!" Vipertail yowled to their kits.

Within moments, the kits tumbled toward them with their tails high and ears pricked. "Can we try prey now? I'm tired of milk!" Crowkit spat.

"Yeah, I want to be a real warrior!" Stormkit squealed as he leaped around.

Snowkit looked excited as well, but said nothing. He looked up at Cloudburst hopefully. He exchanged a look with Vipertail. Their kits were growing up and neither of them could stop it. "Okay, I'll go get a mouse," Vipertail offered then padded away.

"Mouse! We're going to be apprentices!" Snowkit yowled happily.

"Now just a moment, you're too young to be apprentices," Cloudburst meowed as he stopped Snowkit from stumbling over his own paws.

"By the looks of it, we may not have anymore apprentices," came a rough growl from behind them.

Cloudburst turned to see Cloudstar looking at them, wild-eyed. "Don't say that, we'll find a new home," Cloudburst tried to reassure him by placing his tail on his leaders shoulders.

"No! StarClan has abandoned us! We're on our own and we will die on our own," he snapped as he flinched away.

Within moments of the leader's outburst, Fawnstep rushed forward with her fur on end. "Come on, Cloudstar. I'll give you some thyme for the shock," she murmured as she ushered him away.

Cloudburst stared after his leader in shock. His kits tumbled around his paws. "What's wrong with him?" Snowkit asked with a cock of his head.

Cloudburst looked down at his kits as they started up at him in confusion. "He's just in pain," he responded then saw his mate padding toward him with a plump mouse. "Where in the name of StarClan did you find that?"

"Buzzardtail caught it for our kits. He says they should experience the taste of good prey," she purred as she dropped the creature at their delicate paws.

"You eat too, I'll find something else," he responded plainly.

Without hesitation she sunk her teeth into the creature. The kits scooted closer and she leaned back to let the kits get their share. "I'm so use to eating crowfood, I forgot what real prey tastes like," she whispered to him with a careful green eye on their kits.

"Me too, but we'll find a home soon. When do we leave again?" He asked his mate, as if she knew.

Vipertail shrugged and leaned down once again to eat. Cloudbursts belly growled harshly. He purred as each kit exclaimed their pleasure of fresh-kill. "I'll be back. I'm going to go hunt," he meowed then licked her ear in goodbye.

He turned to see Buzzardtail talking with Fawnstep, the expression on his face showed the deputy was not happy. Cloudburst padded up to the pair cautiously, after all it was not his place to listen in on senior warrior business. "What's wrong?" He asked Buzzardtail.

The tom turned to him with wide green eyes. "Cloudstar is ill," he responded.

"With what?" He asked Fawnstep.

The medicine-cats gaze was exhausted. She replied, "His faith is broken as well as his heart. He's delusional. I'm afraid he won't recover, especially after all the recent deaths."

Cloudburst remembered with a sharp pang of pain and grief. He remembered the deaths of Mousefang and Tansypaw. Both had died of a small outbreak of green-cough. Luckily, Fawnstep managed to clear the plague before it worsened. He shook his head and flattened his ears to Buzzardtail. "So we're staying here another day?" He asked the deputy.

The tom curled his lips in disgust. "I certainly hope not, but if we have to, we have no choice," he responded with a side glance at Fawnstep.

Cloudburst took a deep breath. "I'm going hunting," he meowed to Buzzardtail.

The tom gave him a sympathetic nod. "I would suggest you bring another cat for your safety, but Weaselwhisker has started coughing and the others are too tired," he stated with a frown.

"It's okay! We'll go with him!" Came an excited squeal.

Cloudburst turned his head to look down at his kits. "No, it's too dangerous. You'll stay here and watch your mother," he ordered.

Buzzardtail's green gaze softened as he leaned down to look at the kits. "That's a big task too, Vipertail can be a pawful," he meowed with a flick of his tail.

Cloudburst frowned and Buzzardtail looked at him. "Sorry, I'm trying to be convincing," he purred.

Cloudburst nodded then looked down at his kits. "Can I count on you all?" He asked.

"Of course!" Crowkit chirped. "Bet I can climb the hay wall!"

"Not if I do first!" Stormkit growled playfully before they scampered off, leaving Snowkit behind.

"I want to go with you," he wailed as he pushed into Cloudburst's leg.

"No, I need you to lead this mission for your brother and sister," he purred as he gently licked Snowkit's head.

"Oh, okay, but what if something happened to you? You can't leave us," he sobbed.

Cloudburst stifled a rough purr, "I will never leave you, I promise."

With that, the stormy grey tom turned and padded out if the large, gaping hole in the wooden wall. Storm clouds threatened more rain, but the tom padded on. His belly growled furiously as he entered a nearby forest. Cricket chirping hummed in his ears, making him purr quietly at the peaceful sound.

Soon, scratching sounded ahead of him. He lowered himself close to the ground and fixed his blue gaze on a couple of bushes. Paw by paw, he crept forward wit his ears angling around and his breath coming slow. His whiskers fluffed forward as his gaze sharpened. He peered into the bush and saw a rabbit trapped in a shiny, thing with large holes. He flicked his ears forward and suppressed a sigh. "Stupid twolegs," he muttered.

"Don't worry, Cloudburst, I'll get it for you!" Came an excited meow.

The grey tom snapped his gaze at a small tuft of white fur rush through the bushes and for the rabbit. He recognized it as Snowkit, his son. "Snowkit stop!" He gasped as he followed him.

He saw another shiny thing laying flat in the grass under dead leaves, and Snowkit was heading straight for it. Cloudburst's breath shortened into a yowl of terror. He charged forward with large strides. Leaves shot upward as his paws skidded across the moist earth. His fur was on end as Snowkit only grew closer and closer to the collapsed fixture.

Within moments, Cloudburst caught up to his son. His white fur tickled the toms nostrils. The little kit's paw grazed the fixture, causing it to trigger. "No!" Cloudburst yowled just as he snagged the tom in his jaws and tossed him away from the fixture.

He tripped over the hard, shiny edge and landed inside. He yowled in fear as the walls of the fixture closed on him. His son's green eyes were wide in terror. "Cloudburst!" Snowkit cried with a long wail.

Cloudbust's gaze was hazy, but he shook his was vigorously. He saw three more shapes appear. "Cloudburst?" Came a soft, horrified whisper.

His vision cleared finally and he saw his mate. Her green gaze was clouded with fear. His three kits trembled at her paws. "How did you get in there?" She asked with a whisper.

"Snowkit followed me and almost got caught himself. I, luckily, got him out." He responded as he pushed against the walls, but they didn't move.

A loud chattering noise echoed off the tree bark in the forest. By the sound of it, it sounded like twoleg talk. "You have to go!" He yowled at his mate.

Vipertail's gaze grew defiant. "No! I won't leave you!" She snapped.

"You have to, think of our kits. They need you," he meowed urgently as the sounds grew closer.

Her eyes grew glossy as Snowkit stepped up. "You said you'd never leave us," he wailed.

Cloudburst gave his son a sympathetic look. "I'll come find you, no matter what. Don't give up faith, my family. I will find you all again," he meowed as he felt his throat tighten as he looked at his mate one final time. "Go, Vipertail. Never forget, I love you. You're my one and only," he meowed with a somewhat strong voice.

"I love you too, my one and only," she meowed with a wail clearly rising in her throat.

The chattering grew closer and closer as Vipertail gazed at him for a moment longer before rushing the kits away.

Within moments, two large male twolegs padded up to him with large grins on their faces. Cloudburst hissed viciously and backed toward the corner of the fixture as the twoleg leaned down and stuck a paw onto the fixture. The twolegs lifted the fixtures and began to carry him away. He wailed as his family pushed through the bushes. "I'll come find you! I don't give up hope!" He wailed to them.

**A/N: Poor Cloudburst and his family! Where is he heading? What will StarClan lead him? Will he ever be reunited with his family? Only one way to find out! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

**This story hasn't really seemed to get much attention! I don't know if it's because it's different from my others, or if it's because I'm losing my touch. Reviews make me find inspiration to continue writing! So please review and let me know how I'm doing, guys. Thank you!**

**-Nightspirit**


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